>> thank you, "world news"! good evening. diane is off tonight with her family. just as millions of american families are in the path of yet another major storm this evening. it comes on the heels of that powerful system that already slammed the nation's heartland. and then the northeast, with record snowfalls. and now, at least 15 deaths. and tonight, this new storm will dump even more snow on areas already buried under a foot or more. with the potential to grow into a powerful nor'easter with blizzard conditions possible in parts of new england. already snowfall records have been shattered in many cities tonight. among them, indianapolis, little rock, which got the most christmas snow since 1926. and syracuse, new york, with nearly a foot of snow and counting in some areas. and that's where we begin here tonight, with abc's john schriffen leading us off. >> reporter: whiteout conditions in ohio.

power poles snapped like twigs in arkansas. and this pickup truck in southern illinois, struggling just to clear a path. the winter blast, now accounting for 15 deaths. most of them on the nation's roads, where black ice led to accident after accident. >> i lost count of the number of cars i've seen in the ditch. i saw a jackknifed tractor trailer. i saw a horse trailer that was turned over. >> reporter: today, the northeast was digging out. this man spent hours trying to rescue his car here in syracuse. what is it like dealing with this much snow? >> a lot of agony. a lot of back breaking. >> reporter: mother nature is also wreaking havoc in the skies. today alone, close to 700 flights were canceled. in the past 48 hours? nearly 3,000. on new york's long island, this southwest airlines plane skidded off the runway, getting stuck in the mud. 129 passengers evacuated safely. >> tower southwest 4695. >> 4695.

>> we just made your day very exciting, at least ours is going to be. we just taxied off the taxiway into the grass. >> reporter: and right outside the snow zone, but still in nature's path, seabright, new jersey, a town already battered by hurricane sandy. today -- the streets flooded again. and back here in syracuse, crews have cleared many of the main roads, moving these mountains of snow. but tonight, the fear, as the temperature drops, the slush turns to ice, making travel even more difficult. authorities say if you don't have to be out here, stay home. david? >> john schriffen leading us off tonight in syracuse, new york. john, our thanks to you. i want to bring in the chief meteorologist at our power house station there in boston, harvey leonard at channel five. harvey, always great to see you. you were telling us, another big part of the story, not just the snow we saw there in john's piece, but the rain and the winds there in new england. >> yeah, great to be working with you, david. and i got to tell you, the wind gusted to just about hurricane force, along the coast of massachusetts. in addition, rainfall amounts,

two and three inches, localized flooding. and the big wind did cause problems at the time of high tide. fortunately, the tides were low. if they were high, there would have been a lot of coastal flooding and damage. >> and harvey, as this system now moves off, we've got another one right on our doorstep. >> yeah, that one is going to develop in the gulf, pick up a little bit of moisture, start to move northeast. saturday is the day that all the major cities in the northeast from washington to boston will be affected. most likely a couple of inches of snow. because i don't think the storm will really explode until it is well off the coast. but if it intensifies more quickly, those amounts could be higher. we have to watch that very carefully. >> we know you'll be watching it. harvey leonard in boston tonight. thank you. we're going to turn to the other part of the country cleaning up after that massive system. nearly three dozen reported twisters and now the aftermath. and a new portrait tonight of what it was like when those tornadoes barreled through. here's abc's matt gutman now. >> reporter: this surveillance video from a walgreens here in mobile showing the very gut of a tornado. the wind first blasts around

debris. the lightning flashes, blinding. then the darkening funnel, dense with debris, begins sucking in cars, lifting them up, slamming them down. inside, this man in uniform, poking his head outside. a man wheeling his cart towards the door, then the sprint to safety. miraculously, no one was seriously hurt here or in centerville, mississippi. >> it's right over us! get inside! oh! it's coming, too! >> reporter: where a three-mile long twister ripped through trees and houses. stretching from texas to the carolinas, reportedly more than three dozen tornadoes packing winds up to 140 miles an hour, with more than 400 homes damaged or destroyed in alabama alone. and tonight, the south taking down the condemned and trying to salvage what it can. they are boarding up at mobile's historic murphy high school, but not closing down. matt gutman, abc news, mobile, alabama. >> matt, our thanks to you tonight. we turn to the economy now, and to the growing storm brewing in washington.

after senate majority leader harry reid warned today that he believes the government could very well go over that fiscal cliff. now, just five days until everyone's taxes go up. how much for the average american family? here's our chief white house correspondent jon karl tonight. >> reporter: president obama cut short his hawaiian vacation, where storm clouds, real storm clouds, are gathering over the capitol. instead of deal making, it's name calling. the top democrat in the senate, accusing the republican speaker of the house of running a dictatorship. they say they haven't given up, but it sure sounds that way. >> i don't know, time-wise, how it can happen now. >> here we are, once again, at the end of the year, staring at a crisis we should have dealt with literally months ago. >> reporter: vice president biden made a rare appearance in the senate, not to negotiate -- >> i do. >> congratulations, senator. >> reporter: but to swear in a new democratic senator from hawaii. a vote the white house will need

if the senate ever gets around to voting on a plan to avert the fiscal cliff. in the house, even less going on. the only hopeful words, from the house chaplain, looking for some divine help. >> as this chamber lies silent, still, we pray for hope. >> reporter: without agreement soon, nearly everybody takes a hit. a schoolteacher with two kids and a salary of $43,000, for example, will face a tax hike of more than $3,000. members of congress helped get us into this mess and they'll pay, too. with incomes of $174,000, they'll pay some $7,500 more in taxes. as for the super rich? well, consider basketball phenom lebron james. he makes about $53 million. he could see his taxes go up by more than $2.4 million next year alone. and it's not just taxes. on january 1st, unemployment benefits expire for some 2 million people. and we've just learned the

president will meet tomorrow at the white house with congressional leaders. one last ditch effort to get something done, david. >> jon karl, great to have you here in new york with us. as you know, two more important political notes we're following. george h.w. bush remains in a hospital in houston for what a spokesman is now describing as a series of setbacks. the 88-year-old is said to be in guarded condition in intensive care, nursing an elevated fever. and we're getting late word that norman schwarzkopf has died. stormin norman was commander during the first gulf war. and he was 78. we turn now to that debate over gun control. last night here, the picture from los angeles, drivers lined up for blocks, returning guns for gift certificates. 2,000 guns returned. barely two weeks now after the newtown shootings, another debate. should teachers be allowed to bring guns to school. in a new poll, it suggests 64%

of americans think arming at least one official would be some what effective. tonight, meet the teachers who think they should be armed, too. here's cecilia vega. >> okay, so, now what do i do? >> reporter: the gun is fake, but these utah teachers fear the threat facing their classrooms is very real. today, 200 of those teachers became students -- >> ready to fire. >> reporter: packing a conference room on their holiday break to learn how to carry a concealed weapon on the job. and how to protect their schools from an armed intruder. >> the safety is the biggest part. and to be able to use them appropriately is really quite a high priority for me. >> reporter: utah is one of few states where public schools allow guns on campus. but in the wake of the shooting at sandy hook, the push is on to add more states to that list. arizona's attorney general wants every school principal or the principal's designee armed. in ohio, applications at one shooting course for teachers are up 20%. some gun advocates say arming teachers is a lot like arming airline pilots. simply knowing that someone on

campus might be carrying a gun could be enough to stop the bad guys. in 1997, an armed high school vice principal in mississippi did manage to stop a 16-year-old shooter on a rampage. but there was also columbine. 15 people died and the armed security officer on campus and another one nearby could not stop it. >> the nra's blanket call to arm our schools is really nothing more than a distraction. >> reporter: some teachers in utah say they want more gun training. and organizers are already planning another class for the next holiday break. >> i can go up and over. >> reporter: cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. >> cecilia, thank you. and now, made in america tonight and a hopeful sign from ford. the automaker announcing its plan to pump three quarters of a billion dollars into plants in michigan. 2,300 new jobs. and speaking of made in america, our christmas challenge. and tonight, the big reveal here. the factories saying thank you for the joy and the jobs you created. merry christmas. it was the made in america christmas challenge.

you can see the christmas lights are up. across the country, even the mall of america. inside, santa taking those requests. david muir with "world news." how are you? >> oh, good. how are you? >> reporter: i'm just curious. of those kids sitting on santa's lap, how much of what they're asking for is made in america? >> oh, oh. i guess -- ah -- i guess -- i guess -- >> reporter: you'll remember, even the elf was stumped, telling us he couldn't answer those kinds of questions. but if you look closely, we guaranteed you could find made in america. just one thing, $64, creates 200,000 jobs, say economists. and it turns out, you found it. viewers like kerry mcdonald, from iowa. >> fiestaware, made in the united states. >> reporter: new plates and that couch behind her. >> proudly made in america. >> reporter: in fact, the grand total "world news" viewers pledging more than $1 million of made in america gifts this year. those neighbors waving outside st. louis, missouri, that sign, welcomed made in america. >> come in. >> reporter: thank you. >> inventor arianna russell took us into that factory where he

makes her own protective cases for your iphone. her own made in america ads on youtube. a little humor. but when we asked why she's determined to make it in america? >> to -- that's so weird. why i am crying? >> reporter: she said, simply, her father is a veteran. and when you heard that, you bought 4,121 iphone cases. her biggest month ever. she's hiring five new workers. >> thank you, "world news"! >> reporter: then, the viewers determined to find american-made toys. showing us k'nex. the company telling us tonight, more than 7 million boxes sold. >> made in america! >> reporter: entire towns joining in. vernon, vermont, that town hall cheer. >> you bet we're in! >> reporter: and at the vermont wood studios, they've hired five new workers tonight. at spooner boards in california, they're spinning, all right. after our first report on the company, five new employees. they're riding a wave. >> made in america! >> reporter: and you'll remember who we found in her dressing

room. hey, whoopi. >> hey! >> reporter: merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: whoopi at "the view." >> you guys are great, because, you showed a great blanket place. i ordered blankets for christmas. >> reporter: and it turns out, in minnesota, whoopi wasn't the only customer. seas more than doubled since last year. you have employed 80 additional people since our last report? >> yes. >> reporter: and this message from the mill. >> thank you, "world news"! >> reporter: and remember the american-made wrench, the inventor who hoped to sell at sears again this christmas? no new order from them, but we traveled to the assembly line. this is just one of the wrenches that was already packaged, ready to go out to sears for the holidays. you can see, they're unpackaging all of them, paula ripping it out of the container. what they're doing now is, they're repackaging the wrenches and trying to send them out to other retailers, hoping they can sell them for the holiday. >> reporter: forget the retailers, enter "world news" viewers. tonight, 8,000 wrenches sold. and finally, those hoodies.

from american giant in san francisco. telling us tonight, they are sold out of everything. hiring 12 new employees right now, as we zip up our made in america christmas. >> made in america! >> and all of it because of you at home. and there is still much more ahead on "world news" this thursday night. the world leader suddenly stopping children from coming to america. including this little girl, on the lap of her parents here in america. what happened. [ laughter ]

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no prescription needed. we're going to turn now to that explosive issue tonight, and right in the middle of it all, children who thought they were coming to america. and the american parents who thought they were adopting them. all suddenly shocked. russian president vladimir putin stepping in to stop it all. abc's kirit radia reporting tonight from moscow. >> reporter: when russia bans adoptions to the united states, this is who gets caught in the middle. an american mother and a 5 1/2-year-old orphan with spina bifida named paulina. >> one, two. >> reporter: a little girl, who is already learning to count in english. and tells her mommy that she loves her. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. >> reporter: kendra and her husband last saw paulina just a few days ago on a visit to her orphanage outside moscow. now, with the love only a mother can feel, she worries what will happen to her daughter. >> i can't help her.

i can't tell her that i love her. so -- it's really hard. >> reporter: americans have adopted over 60,000 russian children since the fall of the soviet union. but russian officials have pointed to the cases of 19 children who died after being adopted by americans. and in 2010, russia erupted in fury after a 7-year-old boy named artem was sent back to russia alone by his american adoptive mother, carrying a note saying he'd become too difficult to handle. but children's rights advocates say this new ban is playing politics with the lives of children. now, with no way of contacting her, she wishes she could send her daughter a simple message. >> i would tell her that we love her and to be strong and that we're going to do everything we can to come back and get her. >> reporter: but at the end of their last visit, it was paulina who was trying to comfort her mother. >> i was crying and telling her good-bye and she said, "don't cry, mommy, be strong." >> reporter: and david, this is a scene that's playing out in

literally hundreds of homes across america tonight. families that thought they would soon be welcoming home a child are now wondering if they will ever get to see that child again. david? >> such heartbreak for those american parents back here. kirit radia reporting for us tonight, thank you. and still ahead here on "world news," the song, back in the news tonight. ♪ come on baby and rescue me >> you know the song, but can you name that singer tonight? as we remember her. she's still the one for you - you know it even after all these years. but your erectile dysfunction - you know,that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,

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with olay. we're going to turn now to our "instant index" here on a thursday night. shoppers at a shanghai mall suddenly swimming with the sharks. a massive aquarium burst there. here's the video going viral tonight. right here, a flash, the glass gives out. shoppers washed away by that huge wall of water. three sharks were scattered, 15 shoppers injured by the glass. sharks did not survive. to our person making the index tonight, oscar-winning actress kate winslet. back together for a moment with her "titanic" costar, leonardo dicaprio, walking her down the aisle and giving her away to her new leading man, new husband ned rocknroll. that's his last name. the private ceremony right here in the u.s., held in upstate new york. and two words for our quote tonight, and it comes from that 1965 song, "rescue me." ♪ come on baby and rescue me >> tonight, we are remembering the soul singer whose name you might not remember, but she was the writer and the first singer to make that song a huge hit.

fontella bass has died at 72. aretha franklin, of course, giving the song new life much later. the "instant index" here on a thursday night. and when we come back here on the broadcast, check this out. this kicker, watch. he lands the football right there in the basket. then he lands it right in a moving boat. perhaps he should get in the boat and come to america. he's being invited by one nfl team tonight. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] ♪ [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help.

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designed for people with high blood pressure. and the only one i use to relieve my cold symptoms without raising my blood pressure. coricidin hbp. that's the guy who gets his salsa from new york city. new york city? [ alarm chirps ] [ male announcer ] 'round here, there's only one word for salsa: pace. made the right way for that big bold kick. grab the southwest by the bottle. finally tonight here, the athlete kicking his way into homes across america, because of his extraordinary feats in this video. even capturing the attention of an nfl team that just might be asking him to come to america. here's abc's nick watt now. >> reporter: havard rugland has never actually played football, but he can do this.

and this. with a pigskin. the life long soccer player with a killer left foot, rugland bought his first football just last year when his soccer team disbanded. >> it was either find a new team or find a new hobby and that's when i started kicking. >> reporter: and made this youtube video. that's his brother, catching from the sunroof of a moving car. he admits some kicks did take multiple attempts. hundreds of thousands of hits later, an e-mail arrived from the new york jets, inviting this norwegian novice to try out for the team. did you ever think it would lead to this? >> no. never. it was more like a thing to do for myself and my dog. >> reporter: rugland's training and trial went well. he can nail field goals from 57, 58 yards. >> he's got ability, but you don't know what you have until you're in a crucial situation. >> reporter: the jets have asked him back for another look. and who wouldn't want a kicker

who can do this. and this. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> it was so much fun to watch today. that is the broadcast for tonight. "gma" first thing in the morning. for diane and all of us, good night. stoont a new offensive against crime in oakland. they're bringing in a heavy hitter. >> a quiet neighborhood shattered by gunfire. a screaming 911 call"ñ$> leaves her a fatal shooting by police. >> if you've borrowed money from a pay day lender you may

be able to collect your share share of a settlement. >> back on storm watch. homeowners cleaning up after a wet holiday weekend with more rain headed our way. >> here is the latest crime scene in oakland. another neighborhood shooting. tonight, though, a new attempt to fight crime is about to get underway this, one holds promise. good evening. i'm cheryl jengs. >> i'm dan ashley. one of the most prominent crime fighters to help reverse the spire yafl violence. william j bratten, police chief in los angeles for seven years. now, a senior advisor for a corporate security firm based in new york. we're live tonight. what is the plan there? >> this isu/>c a new two-point

plan, it is an effort to reduce crime throughout the city of oakland involving bringing in help from outside, while placing officers closer to where we live. >> we've heard from our community members. we've heard the cry, loud and clear. >> police chief jordan says he's not pleased with the spike in crime in oakland. as of november, robberies up 24%, burglaries 43%. to date, 127 homicides. >> that is way too many. too many on my watch. i want to change that. >> with the manager and mayor, oblgland top law enforcement officer introduced a flan to restrict gun skprils reduce crime in oakland. this will include contracting with the policy partnership that is a group of manager was a proven record of violence reduction. leading that team will be"n:÷ bb waserman of boston. number two, a return to